Empowering prevails in desperate ground
Caprella made a bold bid to make all and had her rivals in trouble with a furlong to race.
But O’Brien galvanised his mount and to her credit the 12/1 shot responded gamely and got up inside the last 100 yards for a narrow success.
“She is tough and the biggest part about her is her heart. I was always confident of catching Johnny” stated Joseph.
The pair doubled their tally when Learn ran out a clear-cut winner of the conditions race by two and a quarter lengths over Brendan Bracken.
Lady Gosford showed commendable battling qualities to win the opening two year old maiden for Shane Foley and Eddie Lynam.
“I was worried about the ground and like all trainers I am sick of the weather.
“We’ll see what mark she gets now and she has a very good pedigree. Shane said that she handled the ground well,” stated Lynam. The trainer was back in the winner’s enclosure when Vale Of Clara beat her stable companion Regal Power to win the six furlong maiden.
“I didn’t think that she would go in the ground.
“I don’t have her that long but I trained her dam who was a good filly. She’ll probably go the handicap route now,” remarked Lynam.
Samantha Bell does well with limited opportunities and she guided Wot A Shot to a clear-cut success in the apprentice handicap for her boss Kevin Prendergast.
The winner was prominent throughout and Bell sent her mount to the front with a furlong to race to record a four and half lengths success over Vasoni.
Man Of Erin benefited from a strong drive from Johnny Murtagh to win the concluding mile handicap.
The winner was expected to start favourite but he eased in the ring out to 11/4 in the face of solid support for the runner-up Miracle Cure.
The winner looked beaten a furlong down but to his credit he dug deep to record his third success of the campaign for Curragh trainer Bill Farrell.
